Photo:
Having started life as a birthday barbeque for the Standon Lordship back in 2001, the festival has seen an exponential increase in size over 10 years. 2010, the third three day event, is the biggest yet and saw over 4,000 revellers trek to the little village in Hertfordshire for the festivities.
Placing itself firmly within the “boutique festival” category, Standon Calling uniquely offers a swimming pool and promises no queues, toilets you can sleep in, and proper showers. Well, the swimming pool was there… Unfortunately it seems that with the large increase in numbers (2009 drawing just 1,000 compared to the 4,000 this year) there has been a shortfall with the increased number of facilities. Queues for toilets (certainly not a place I would sleep) and food were lengthy at times, and in the evenings on Saturday and Sunday, when day passes were on sale, getting to one of the three under-staffed and under-stocked bars proved very difficult. Regardless of this spirits were high, with the organisers once again roping in an eclectic and impressive line-up - notably, performances from Liars, Buena Vista Social Club, Efterklang and British Sea Power.
Each year the festival encourages attendees to participate in fancy dress to a given theme, this year the theme being ‘Murder on the Standon Express’. Cue a slew of Sherlock Homes lookalikes, old-fashioned bobbies, Cluedo characters and glamorously dressed flapper girls, alongside a selection of slightly more tenuously linked efforts (not quite sure how giant bananas fit the bill). Beyond this, organisers made the effort to transform the site into a suitable backdrop, including recreating Baker Street Station at the twisted licks stage, a Sweeny Todd-style barbers, an abandoned cinema, a handful of boutique shops and an Alcatraz themed late-night area. Furthermore, throughout the weekend an interactive play of sorts unfolded, the premise of which being the kidnapping of a well-known lord and the consequent unfurling of his seedy background. To allow festival-goers to keep abreast of events daily newsletters were distributed, posters were placed around the site and breaking headlines were broadcast on Standon FM - Diesel: U Music were live on site and kindly dishing out free radios to those who were quick enough to grab one.
It’s a shame free programmes weren’t supplied as the weekend was subject to some superb performances, many of which had disappointingly small crowds. It was Sparrow and The Workshop who perhaps suffered the most, opening the main stage on Saturday to just one solitary fan. However, for those in the right place at the right time there was plenty of gold to be mined - the Twisted Licks stage proving particularly fruitful. Japanese psych-rockers Bo Ningen were mesmerising, delivering a brutal, genre-hopping wall of noise, hair and extraordinary attire. Three Trapped Tigers impressed with their jaw-dropping technical proficiency and frantic progressive pieces but proved too much for some and may well have destined themselves to forever be a “musician’s band”. Defying obvious mass-market appeal once again, Fucked Up drew a good crowd and did what they do - with Pink Eyes almost immediately half-naked and into the audience, much to the delight of onlookers. Other highlights on the stage included a soaring, triumphant set from British Sea Power and a very atmospheric and confident performance from These New Puritans demoing their reinvented sound.
On the main stage, pickings were arguably a little slimmer. There were some great headline performances from Etienne de Crecy, whipping fans into a frenzy with his celebrity squares-esque light show, and the always enjoyable Buena Vista Social Club. Liars, however, failed to ignite the audience’s interest and were perhaps not best suited to a headline slot, driving hordes of people over to Pantha du Prince and the Alcatraz area in search of a beat to dance to. The highlight on the main stage over the weekend may very well have been the super-upbeat Casiokids, who quickly drew a strong crowd and sounded like pure aural optimism. Their blend of euro pop and heavier electronica was a non-ironic triumph.
What with the diverse music, a 24-hour license and a great selection of unique areas to party the night away - all for a very reasonable price (this being a charitable not for profit event), it’s no surprise Standon has seen such extraordinary growth over the years. Not even the vastly changeable weather and occasional queues could dampen the spirits of the crowd, who will no doubt be flocking back in 2011 along with many others. Here’s hoping they continue to grow but still maintain the distinctive atmosphere and mood they have worked so hard to create.
